Latest news with #TrafalgarTours
Straits Times
26-05-2025
- Business
- Straits Times
Travel News: Trafalgar Tours launches new river cruise itineraries in Europe
The Trafalgar Reverie will sail the Danube river from April 2026. PHOTO: TRAFALGAR TOURS SINGAPORE – Come April 2026, Trafalgar Tours – a brand under travel company The Travel Corp – will sail down the Danube and Rhine rivers in Europe on two newly launched river cruise trips. Its 10-day river cruise itinerary (from US$3,249 or S$4,165 ) takes travellers on a journey along the Rhine from Dutch capital Amsterdam to Basel , a city in north-western Switzerland famed for its blend of historic and modern architecture. Alternatively, its eight-day voyage (from US$2,799) on the Danube sails from Hungarian capital Budapest to Passau, a German city on the Austrian border. The ship will pass Slovakian capital Bratislava, as well as Austria's capital Vienna and Unesco World Heritage site Wachau Valley, known for its lush vineyards on mountains. These journeys will take place on two 128-passenger ships – the Trafalgar Reverie and Trafalgar Verity – obtained from its sister brand Uniworld Boutique River Cruises. Trafalgar Tours' inaugural sailing will take place on April 11, 2026. Mr Nick Lim, the company's Asia chief executive, says its new river cruise products come as more travellers embrace slow travel – a more relaxed and immersive approach to vacations. Guests exploring the Rhine on the 10-day river cruise itinerary can take in the sights and sounds of Koblenz – the gateway to the Upper Middle Rhine Valley, a Unesco World Heritage site. PHOTO: TRAFALGAR TOURS He adds that the brand was encouraged by the growth of Uniworld Boutique River Cruises, which saw bookings triple from June 2022 to May 2025. The Trafalgar Reverie and Trafalgar Verity will each have 64 cabins across seven categories, ranging from its 14 sq m Classic staterooms to its largest 20 sq m Riverview Suites. Prices include hotel stays before embarkation, food and drinks – alcoholic and non-alcoholic, on-board entertainment and access to a games room, gym, sundeck, bar and lounges. The 14 sq m French Balcony staterooms on the Trafalgar Verity come with floor-to-ceiling windows for guests to soak in river views. PHOTO: TRAFALGAR TOURS Activities such as walking tours through historic streets, guided tours of tourist attractions and visits to local businesses are included in the trips. Optional excursions to attractions such as Germany's Heidelberg Castle or Budapest's Jewish Quarter can be booked at extra cost. Meaningful engagements with local communities will feature prominently in the cruise itineraries. For instance, the trips will include interactions with non-profit organisations and activities that patronise local family-owned businesses. Tours will also delve into historically and culturally significant events for travellers to better appreciate the destination. For instance, in Bratislava, passengers will learn about its Cold War history in a tour of key communist-era sites and meet a representative of non-profit organisation Post Bellum, which preserves first-hand accounts of life under totalitarian regimes. Mr Lim says: 'Unlike ocean liners that are stocked with entertainment and known to be the destination in itself, river cruising keeps the actual destination as the main focus. The comfort, convenience, meals and activities of a river cruise trip are curated so guests can intimately experience their surroundings.' Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
Otago Daily Times
25-05-2025
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Runner ‘chuffed' with record
Former Dunedin ultra-distance runner Damian Watson nears the finish line of the Wild Horse 200 in South Wales. PHOTO: SUPPLIED Damian Watson did not just break the previous record for the Wild Horse 200 ultra-distance race across Wales, he absolutely smashed it, then ground it up into dust. The race can take up to five days to complete, but the Dunedin-born and raised runner won it in 51 hours and 51 minutes — about five and a-half hours faster than the previous race record-holder. The 38-year-old's mother Sharon Watson, of Dunedin, said it was held on a gruelling 200-mile (322km) trail, traversing the mountains of South Wales, along Offa's Dyke, traversing the Beacons Way before catching the Heart Of Wales Line on to the Wales Coast Path and finish line at Worm's Head. "It's not like the Coast to Coast in New Zealand. It's a lot longer — 322km straight." She said about 120 competed from across Europe and Watson was the only New Zealander. "He's pretty chuffed with the win. He's really competitive. "He's always been a sports person. He played ice hockey — he was a former Ice Black — and hockey, and then he took to marathon running. "He can be very hard on himself. That's why he was so chuffed. "He recently got third in a big race in the North Island which was a lot less kilometres in it, and he wasn't happy about it. "He had the fitness, but he lost it mentally at the end." Whatever went wrong upstairs, he seems to have fixed, she said. "There was no way anyone was going to catch him. "He basically led from the start and he was about 20km ahead." She said he was "a proud Kiwi" and the family was delighted to see footage of him crossing the finish line, holding a New Zealand flag. It appears there is no rest for the wicked. She said he went back to work the next day as a Trafalgar Tours guide on a bus. He spends the northern hemisphere summers tour guiding and doing marathons where he can, and in the New Zealand summer, he returns to help run his deli at Muriwai Beach with his business partners. Mrs Watson said the former King's High School student was not the easiest child in the family to raise, because he was so "driven". "But we're very proud of him."
Vancouver Sun
21-05-2025
- General
- Vancouver Sun
Hidden tunnels and historic landmarks shine a light on Vietnam's painful past
Huynh Van Chia, 80, stands proudly at attention — an empty sleeve where his right arm should be — as he recalls his terrible years as a Viet Cong guerrilla in the tunnels of Cu Chi, some 65 km outside of Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam. 'For people like me who lived in the tunnels, we came out from the tunnels when the war ended, but we have problems with hearing, but also seeing… It was not easy for myself,' he said through a translator from Trafalgar Tours . 'When the war ended, it took time for me to recover and for me to feel better.' For 12 years, from 1963 to 1975, Van Chia lived, worked and fought in those dim, multi-layered tunnels near Ben Dinh village. He lost his right arm and the sight in one eye when struck by machine gun fire. Plan your next getaway with Travel Time, featuring travel deals, destinations and gear. By signing up you consent to receive the above newsletter from Postmedia Network Inc. A welcome email is on its way. If you don't see it, please check your junk folder. The next issue of Travel Time will soon be in your inbox. Please try again Interested in more newsletters? Browse here. It's impossible to imagine life underground for so long, especially after crouching — or crawling, as taller people have to do — through a scant 20 to 80 metres of them. Small sections of the Cu Chi tunnels are open for tourists to explore if they have the nerve. They are pitch-black, steamy hot, silent except for the laboured breathing, and disorienting. Cu Chi is an immense network of interconnected tunnels and larger rooms, 268 kilometres all told, connecting former Viet Cong support bases on the outskirts of Saigon (as Ho Chi Minh City is still commonly called) all the way to the Cambodian border. The network included field hospitals, kitchens, meeting and living areas and armament bunkers. The original section was built in 1948 as Vietnam fought for independence against the French. Newer tunnels were constructed for the 'American War,' as it's called in Vietnam. 'We had to eat whatever was available. We had rice, cassava – sweet potato. We tried to grow food along the Saigon River. But, of course, we had to hide away from our enemy. Also, local people in the yellow areas, when they went out, they sometimes left food in areas for us. We'd go at night to collect it,' recalled Van Chia. At its peak, 3,500 guerrillas stayed in the tunnels. The entire system had room for 41,000 people, but they never had to stay in the tunnel at the same time. 'We only used it when it was not safe to be above,' said Van Chia, who still lives in the area and was asked to come speak to our tour group. It was a powerful talk, and the kind of experience many in the group said is why they are repeat Trafalgar guests. It was the 10th trip for one Australian couple and the 14th for a Calgary woman, Alison Gilbart, who said, 'I look for excursions that I wouldn't have the opportunity to do on my own.' When American troops moved into the Ben Dinh area, they unknowingly built a base on top of some of the tunnels. Van Chia said the Viet Cong would strike at night and disappear into the tunnels, leaving the U.S. troops to fight what seemed like ghosts. 'We placed land mines, bamboo traps, booby traps, everywhere, outside and also inside tunnels, to stop our enemy. We also built very low, narrow tunnels, just only us at a time could go through. Very low, just about this (he said, gesturing to his knees). So we had to crawl through the tunnel. It was all very well connected.' But those tunnels were also targeted by American bombers and frequently destroyed. Van Chia was outside one in a trench when an enemy machine gun tore into his right arm and eye in 1967. He was 21 years old. At the complex, there are displays of those booby traps, of a field hospital and bunkers where they built bombs. If that's not real enough, the constant blasting of M16s, AK47s, RPKs and RPD machine guns reverberates from the National Defence Sport Range, lending a chilling air of authenticity. Despite the horrors he and others endured, Van Chia has hope for the future. 'My wishes for now to the future, when young people meet, no matter where they are from – the United States or other countries – the Vietnamese people, when they meet, they will meet at the table having tea and discussing business, not about war,' said Van Chia. This year, on April 30, Vietnam marked the end of the hostilities with the 50th anniversary of the fall of Saigon and reunification of North and South. During an early April trip, workers were constructing massive bleachers on the grounds of the Reunification Palace in preparation for official ceremonies. Events are planned across the country this year, with perhaps some of the most prestigious in Hanoi, the former seat of power for Ho Chi Minh and his Communist Party. A visit to the presidential palace area in Hanoi is the best place to start to get an understanding of the very complicated history of Vietnam. The Americans were just one foe and the fight against them just one war fought here. Over the centuries, it was invaded by other nations like China and Japan. France ruled the south until the Viet Minh, led by Ho Chi Minh, revolted against colonial rule. Following eight years of war, an accord divided the country into the French-backed south and the communist north. Revered as a leader, Ho Chi Minh's body is displayed in a mausoleum in the presidential palace area. A long line of thousands winds across the grounds before a brief walk past the glass box raised on a stone pedestal bathed in dim light and silence. You can also tour two of the houses where he lived from 1954 onward, and see a display of the Bentley and other official cars he used when meeting leaders and dignitaries. In Saigon, many of the wartime landmarks remain but have new, more peaceful uses. The Fall of Saigon on April 30, 1975, is considered to have occurred when a North Vietnamese Army tank crashed through the gates of Independence Palace, ending the war. Today, the palace is a museum, and the beautifully manicured grounds are a popular tourist attraction. Another former landmark is now impossible to distinguish from other buildings unless it's pointed out. A famous photo taken on April 29, 1975, shows U.S. government officials evacuating by climbing a ladder to a helicopter on a roof. Today, it is an apartment building. Visits to both cities help explain the story of Vietnam. As Saigon, Hanoi and all other parts of the country mark the 50th anniversary of reunification, Van Chia reflected on that long-ago war. 'We never forget what happened 50 years ago. That's when the war ended and the country was reunified. We remember what Ho Chi Minh said: 'Nothing is more precious than freedom and independence.' ' Michele Jarvie was a guest of Trafalgar Tours, which did not review this article before publication.
Forbes
01-05-2025
- Forbes
Traveling With Teens: Tips And Tours To Make It A Success
getty Traveling with teenagers can be both amazing and exhausting. They are almost adults, so they can take part in many of the same activities as their parents, and yet they often don't want anything to do with their parents. Teens are at a stage where they crave independence, yet still need structure and guidance. While younger children may be thrilled by a hotel pool, teens have higher expectations. Parents traveling with teens must strike a delicate balance between offering enough freedom for their kids to feel autonomous, while keeping them engaged and connected so it feels like a family vacation. Traveling together also opens up meaningful conversations and opportunities for bonding that daily routines at home may not allow. Travel becomes a bridge between childhood and adulthood, a way to stay close as teens grow more independent. Still, the challenges can't be ignored. Teens may be moody, glued to their phones, or reluctant to try new foods or wake up early for tours. Planning trips that cater to both parents and teens requires flexibility, patience, and a good sense of humor. It helps to involve teens in the planning process—letting them choose a museum, activity, or restaurant gives them a sense of ownership and makes them more likely to engage. Structured travel with a mix of guided experiences and free time is often ideal for families with teens. getty That's where Trafalgar Tours comes in. Known for their immersive travel experiences and family-friendly itineraries, Trafalgar offers guided vacations that take the pressure off planning while still allowing flexibility and fun. Their 'Family Experiences' tours are designed specifically with kids and teens in mind, blending cultural learning with fun activities. Parents can relax knowing that logistics, accommodations, and transportation are all handled, while teens get to meet other travelers their age. Multigenerational tours continue to be a growing market. One popular option is Trafalgar's 'Egypt with Nile Cruise' itinerary. This 10-day adventure introduces families ancient Egypt through a teen-friendly lens. Highlights include visiting the Pyramids of Giza and the Sphinx, exploring the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, and cruising down the Nile River with stops in Luxor and Aswan. Teens will love walking through the Valley of the Kings, exploring temples dedicated to powerful pharaohs, and even sailing in a traditional felucca. There's plenty of interactive storytelling from expert guides, plus built-in downtime and group activities that encourage socializing with other families. getty Highlights include: One of the advantages of group travel is the social aspect. Teens can connect with others their age, fostering new friendships and shared experiences. However, it's worth noting that the age demographics on tours can vary. While some tours may have several families with children and teens, others might predominantly consist of adult travelers. Travel during school holidays and summer breaks often attracts families with kids. getty · Include Them in the Planning. Let teens help choose destinations, activities, or restaurants. It builds excitement and gives them a sense of control. · Balance Structure and Freedom. On group tours, let the kids plan activities during downtime. · Give Them Some Independence. Allow age-appropriate independence, like exploring a nearby shop or grabbing a snack on their own. · Compromise on Tech. Set clear expectations: time for photos and downtime is okay, but not during meals or tours. · Prioritize Sleep. Teens need more sleep than you think. Avoid over-packing the itinerary, especially early mornings. · Find Teen-Friendly Activities. Look for adventure sports, interactive museums, cooking classes, or experiences tailored to their age group. · Encourage Journaling or Vlogging. Let them document the trip their way—it helps them stay engaged and creates memories. · Pack Snacks and Essentials. A hungry teen is an unhappy teen. Bring snacks, chargers, earphones, and other personal comfort items. · Respect Their Interests. If they love photography, fashion, or music, find activities that align—like a photo walk, local thrift shop, or concert. · Don't Force Constant Togetherness. Give them space. Occasional solo time can reduce tension and make family time more enjoyable. · Talk About Expectations in Advance. Set clear rules on budget, curfews, safety, and behavior before the trip to avoid surprises. · Stay Flexible and Patient. Moods will shift. Go with the flow when things don't go as planned. Remember, the best stories are often when things go wrong.
